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Will SSD from Macbook Pro 2010 be equally OK and compatible in new Mac Pro?

E

ejosepha

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 12, 2009
283
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I have the newest model 17" I7 MBP with an OWC SSD 120GB. I will be receiving a new Mac Pro 3.2 ghz Quad Core in the coming week. I would like to eventually add this SSD as the boot drive in the new Mac Pro. Will it run equally fine and compatibly in the new machine even though it is being switched from the MBP? It would be easier than erase and reinstalling this SSD if there really would be nothing to gain from it.
Secondly, before I add the SSD I will work with the Mac Pro on the HD that will come with the machine stock. Can I transfer the Time Machine backup from the MBP to the new Mac Pro during initial start-up without compromising the new computer's system? I have done this many times before between different models of Macs in the past--made it easier to transfer photos, mail and setting, etc.--I don't keep a ton of data in general--maybe 50 GB including Snow Leopard.
But if this will in any way compromise the workings of the new computer I will start from scratch.
Thanks
 
I have an OWC SSD in my Mac Pro. An SSD is going to perform the same anywhere. I've got my OWC SSD hanging of the 2nd Optical Port on my Mac Pro. I've also got 2 Samsung SSDs attached to ports 3 and 4 on the SATA bus.

ejosepha said:
I have the newest model 17" I7 MBP with an OWC SSD 120GB. I will be receiving a new Mac Pro 3.2 ghz Quad Core in the coming week. I would like to eventually add this SSD as the boot drive in the new Mac Pro. Will it run equally fine and compatibly in the new machine even though it is being switched from the MBP? It would be easier than erase and reinstalling this SSD if there really would be nothing to gain from it.
Secondly, before I add the SSD I will work with the Mac Pro on the HD that will come with the machine stock. Can I transfer the Time Machine backup from the MBP to the new Mac Pro during initial start-up without compromising the new computer's system? I have done this many times before between different models of Macs in the past--made it easier to transfer photos, mail and setting, etc.--I don't keep a ton of data in general--maybe 50 GB including Snow Leopard.
But if this will in any way compromise the workings of the new computer I will start from scratch.
Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Hello,

From the point of view of compatibility, SSDs and regular HDs are the same. It's just about everything else that's different (average sizes, transfer speeds, life expectancy, noise levels...)

Loa
 
My question isn't whether the SSD will work in the Mac Pro. It is whether using this Drive that has been running a MBP will in any way disrupt the workings of the new Mac Pro. Or will it be completely compatible?
If the Mac Pro runs on 64 bit, how would I change the SSD from the MBP that you say is running on 32 bit to accommodate this? WOuld I need to erase and re-install the SSD on the new machine or is there a way to just choose this option?
In any case, if I just use the 1 TB drive that comes with the Mac Pro in the beginning, but use my Time Machine backup from the MBP, will this disrupt anything on the Mac Pro or can I just transfer everything over, including the Apps, network setting, and data without changing the basic Mac Pro system?
Thanks
 
ejosepha said:
It is whether using this Drive that has been running a MBP will in any way disrupt the workings of the new Mac Pro. Or will it be completely compatible?
Click to expand...

You should definitely reinstall using either universal Snow Leopard disks, or Mac Pro disks. The system isn't the same, and my guess (just a guess, though) is that you'll run into trouble if you use the same exact system.

Loa
 
LOA is correct.

Take the ssd reformat it and use the mac pro install disks to start from fresh. If you want any info from the ssd be sure to make a copy of the info before you reformat it.
 
Hey hey hey, wait just a minute, there should be no reason what so ever to reformat the drive for compatibility reasons. This ain't windows where you simply can't replace hard drives or motherboards without a major operation.

Put your SSD in your Mac Pro and it will boot up just fine. To think otherwise is just insane. Make sure tho the OS on the MBP is updated to 10.6.5 or a point release higher than the OS that the Mac Pro ships with and it will be perfectly fine. I do this all the time as well as cloning Mac Pro's to MBP's via Target Disk Mode over Firewire. The only thing you will want to do is change the boot args to x64 in the terminal to set a 64bit kernel to load on the Mac Pro, or do that before you remove the drive in the MBP, it makes no difference. This stuff is just not problematic on Mac's as it would otherwise be hell on a windows box.

If you plan to clone the disk to another an out in the MBP and you set a Manual IP be sure to set the IP to DHCP first otherwise two machines will be trying to use the same IP on the network if they are running at the same time. Most ppl prolly have auto IP with DHCP anyways so it's not usually going to bother too many ppl.
 
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drayon said:
Hey hey hey, wait just a minute, there should be no reason what so ever to reformat the drive for compatibility reasons. This ain't windows where you simply can't replace hard drives or motherboards without a major operation.

Put your SSD in your Mac Pro and it will boot up just fine. To think otherwise is just insane. Make sure tho the OS on the MBP is updated to 10.6.5 or a point release higher than the OS that the Mac Pro ships with and it will be perfectly fine. I do this all the time as well as cloning Mac Pro's to MBP's via Target Disk Mode over Firewire. The only thing you will want to do is change the boot args to x64 in the terminal to set a 64bit kernel to load on the Mac Pro, or do that before you remove the drive in the MBP, it makes no difference. This stuff is just not problematic on Mac's as it would otherwise be hell on a windows box.

If you plan to clone the disk to another an out in the MBP and you set a Manual IP be sure to set the IP to DHCP first otherwise two machines will be trying to use the same IP on the network if they are running at the same time. Most ppl prolly have auto IP with DHCP anyways so it's not usually going to bother too many ppl.
Click to expand...
So for you there would be no problem just using the SSD from the MBP. It is updated to 10.6.6, so it is the most recent system. I presume that if I start the new Mac Pro and migrate all of the contents from the MBP which is backed up on Time Machine, which isn't a lot, but contains my network setting, photos, documents, and applications, that this would be OK as well. It would basically be a copy of the SSD currently in the MBP on my Time Machine HD.
My plan would be to first try the new Mac Pro with the 1TB and backup Time Machine when starting it up and work with it first a little and then put in the SSD and eventually use it as the boot drive a few days later.
I just don't want to slow down the new computer with any potential issues between a portable MBP and the new tower.
thanks
 
If it was me. I'd take a clone of the SSD now to some external drive using CCC. Just leave that alone. Make sure you also have a Time Machine backup as well. What I did was a clean install on my Mac Pro when I moved from MPB to MP. I haven't regretted that. If you need to later you can use Migration Assistant to move the data over later. It's never a bad thing to use the fact that you have a new machine as an excuse to cleanup and remove cruft you no longer need.

ejosepha said:
So for you there would be no problem just using the SSD from the MBP. It is updated to 10.6.6, so it is the most recent system. I presume that if I start the new Mac Pro and migrate all of the contents from the MBP which is backed up on Time Machine, which isn't a lot, but contains my network setting, photos, documents, and applications, that this would be OK as well. It would basically be a copy of the SSD currently in the MBP on my Time Machine HD.
My plan would be to first try the new Mac Pro with the 1TB and backup Time Machine when starting it up and work with it first a little and then put in the SSD and eventually use it as the boot drive a few days later.
I just don't want to slow down the new computer with any potential issues between a portable MBP and the new tower.
thanks
Click to expand...
 
steffi said:
If it was me. I'd take a clone of the SSD now to some external drive using CCC. Just leave that alone. Make sure you also have a Time Machine backup as well. What I did was a clean install on my Mac Pro when I moved from MPB to MP. I haven't regretted that. If you need to later you can use Migration Assistant to move the data over later. It's never a bad thing to use the fact that you have a new machine as an excuse to cleanup and remove cruft you no longer need.
Click to expand...
If I first just use the 1 TB drive that comes with the Mac Pro, can I migrate on it the Time Machine backup from the MBP or would this transfer over stuff not compatible or needed on the new machine? Would it over-write drivers or things like that on the new Mac Pro?
I am not very advanced in these matters so I have never cloned a drive before. I assume Time Machine is not a complete clone of the SSD drive I am currently working with.
I would like to start out simple, make sure the new machine works, and then add the SSD in a week or so as the boot drive.
 
here is the deal. your macbook pro ssd blank and reformatted is fine. if your macbook pro used macbook pro install disc to be created it may or may not work fine. the easy way to test is boot the mac pro load xbench onto the 1tb stock hdd


http://www.xbench.com/


note the score. turn the mac pro off pull the oem 1tb drive load the ssd from the macbook pro boot if the machines boots you are half way there then load xbench to it then run xbench and your score should be much better. if it is not better you have a program on the ssd you mac pro does not like. if you get scores like 250 with the stock 1tb hdd and a score like 300 with the ssd you may have lucked out. sometimes direct swap from1 model to another is good sometimes it is not. not complicated very simple.
 
yes I know because I sold him the 2.5 to 3.5 inch raptor tray that let him adapt the 2.5 inch drive he pulled from his mini. he had terrible xbench and terrible geekbench scores. so mac mini install will not work right in a mac pro. BTW he did a fresh install and doubled his speed.


but you can test your ssd for free and it should score far better.

if it does not then you have some work to do. we had two or three people say they just swapped hdds and got great results, but no documentation.

I think we have at least two threads of swaps working really slow.
 
philipma1957 said:
yes I know because I sold him the 2.5 to 3.5 inch raptor tray that let him adapt the 2.5 inch drive he pulled from his mini. he had terrible xbench and terrible geekbench scores. so mac mini install will not work right in a mac pro. BTW he did a fresh install and doubled his speed.


but you can test your ssd for free and it should score far better.

if it does not then you have some work to do. we had two or three people say they just swapped hdds and got great results, but no documentation.

I think we have at least two threads of swaps working really slow.
Click to expand...
My plan was to install the SSD in the second HD bay (or switch it with the 1st bay) and use it as boot drive and then use the 1TB Hd that came with the Mac Pro as the drive to backup large files etc. on, like video files, etc.
One suggestion elsewhere was to start the Mac Pro, back up through Time Machine the MBP SSD drive data onto the stock drive that comes with the new Mac Pro and work with this. then clone this drive and eventually back it up on the the newly erased and installed SSD. If I understand correctly, even if I transfer through Time Machine the current backup of the SSD in my MBP, it will not over-write the OS system on the Mac Pro (i.e; drivers, 64-bit by default, etc.) Once the data is on the new system I would be transfering it through CCC onto the SSD and the SSD would be, in essence, now a clone of the Mac Pro system.
Hope I've understood this.
 
ejosepha said:
So for you there would be no problem just using the SSD from the MBP. It is updated to 10.6.6, so it is the most recent system. I presume that if I start the new Mac Pro and migrate all of the contents from the MBP which is backed up on Time Machine, which isn't a lot, but contains my network setting, photos, documents, and applications, that this would be OK as well. It would basically be a copy of the SSD currently in the MBP on my Time Machine HD.
My plan would be to first try the new Mac Pro with the 1TB and backup Time Machine when starting it up and work with it first a little and then put in the SSD and eventually use it as the boot drive a few days later.
I just don't want to slow down the new computer with any potential issues between a portable MBP and the new tower.
thanks
Click to expand...

To be absolutely certain, what I do in this case is make a backup (clone with superduper) of the SSD to a Firewire drive. I'd erase and write zeros and put the SSD in the Mac Pro.. I'd boot the MBP from the cloned SSD (that is now on the firewire drive) and have that machine running, then install fresh Mac OS X on the Mac Pro and install all the apps and and configure every setting exactly the same that the MBP has been set to on the Mac Pro. Running the MBP side by side takes the guess work out of this. It's probably the most manual and complete way to do a major transition like this and will take most of the afternoon. I always do this on a major Mac OS X update, such as From Snow Leopard to Lion.

As mentioned this takes some time so if you want to get cracking right a way you can easily test things out before hand without all that work. Do this, Turn on the MBP and Hold down the 'T' key. The screen will turn a light blue and a huge Firewire logo shows up on the screen. Now plug a Firewire cable into the MBP and connect the other end to the Mac Pro (which is currently off). Turn on the Mac Pro and hold down the 'Option' key, an 'EFI' orange hard drive icon shows up (this is the MBP drive) so click on it. The Mac Pro will now boot up from the MBP's internal SSD. You can now give the Mac Pro a test ride running the MBP's SSD. You will probably notice an inactive Airport in the menubar so you need to add a network interface in the Network System Preference pane. Once tested to your satisfaction shutdown the Mac Pro and then turn off the MBP, disconnect the Firewire cable an pull out the SSD from the MBP and install it in the Mac Pro and fire it up...happy days and pretty fast. Use the system until Lion comes out then do all that major work tho in reverse. Clone the Mac Pro's SSD boot drive to an external firewire, connect it to the MBP, fire it up then Erase/format the SSD in the Mac Pro and install fresh Lion and use the MBP as the live reference for configurations. That way everything is new.
 
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